The Last Hurrah: Melbourne personalised funeral service thrives

A fledgling Melbourne funeral service has found success through providing personalised and unique send-offs featuring food trucks, live music, signed caskets and plenty more.

The Last Hurrah funerals co-owners Kimba Griffith and Nastassia Jones. Picture: Stephanie Cammarano

The Last Hurrah female-owned funeral service believe in authentic farewells which are unique to the person being sent off.

The Last Hurrah co-founders Kimba Griffith and Nastassia Jones jumping into the funeral business one year ago after finding a hole in the market where some marginalised communities could not afford to send their loved one off.

From signed caskets to stubby holders, designing each funeral starts with the family and loved ones who are encouraged to take the process on slowly rather than rushing through decisions when grief hits.

Last Hurrah co-founder Kimba Griffith said there are no rules when it comes to death, and no need to hold back the tears.

“We have no specific ethos except for doing what families want to do to farewell their person. It’s about trying to create farewells that reflect the person who’s died truly and reflect how the family want to say goodbye,” she said.

“That way we don’t have set structures like traditional funeral services.

“We never call funerals a ‘celebration of life’, the reason is because there are two functions to a funeral … to celebrate someone’s life and to mourn someone’s death.

“Someone has died and that’s cr*p.

“Although we have tons of funerals that are really fun we never try to minimise the loss aspect.

“A lot of musicians and skaters might come from the fringes and we wanted to support those people knowing sometimes they don’t get the funeral they deserve.”

The Last Hurrah funerals in Melbourne can arrange a food truck to provide some needed comfort food during your goodbye.

Signed casket – The Last Hurrah can cater for each family and design a farewell to be unique.

For each funeral run through The Last Hurrah $100 is donated to fund and support those who cannot afford a funeral – particularly artists, skaters and musicians.

Both founders have a strong passion for assisting artists, musicians and skaters with Jones beginning Australia’s first all female skate crew and Griffith working as a Jazz musician for the past 25 years.

In addition to running lower costs funerals compared to traditional goodbyes the company prides itself on operation like a social enterprise and educating the public on death related topics.

In the past workshops titled ‘what happens when I die’ and ‘dying queer’ have run with some hosting a panel of industry experts including a palliative care nurse, embalmer and hearse driver answering questions.

Cardboard sustainable caskets are offered free for every service but everything from simple to extravagant can be arranged.

Each service can be tailored to suit each family and become as unique as the loved one who has died including cremations, burials, home funerals and vigils.

The first memorial tree planting festival will be held in March where families can plant a flowering gum tree and put a plaque down for their loved one while enjoying beers, BBQ and live music.

The festival will run annually at a farm near Melbourne and tickets only available to those involved with a Last Hurrah funeral.

Funeral merch is available to buy including a coffin pin and a ‘wish you were here’ stubby holder.

To find out more about cremation, burials and natural burials with The Last Hurrah visit, thelasthurrahfunerals.com.au or on Instagram @thelasthurrahfunerals